Return of the Sword God-Rank Civil Servant

# A special quest manifested for Player An Su-ho.

# This is a linked quest, and if you fail during its execution, it will automatically terminate.

# Quest rewards are granted by accumulating results, and if you fail midway, no rewards will be given.

# You have achieved the first quest.

# You have achieved the second quest.

# You have achieved the third quest.

# The fourth quest is to make one Great Demon into a Demon King.

The contents of the fourth quest had changed.

But the contents were far simpler than expected.

'Make a Great Demon into a Demon King?'

This was not just simple, it was too easy.

This is really a special quest?

Su-ho frowned and stared at the quest window for a while.

But nowhere in the special quest window was there any additional comment or condition.

Su-ho asked,

"Grid."

- What.

"You're still a Great Demon, not a Demon King yet, right?"

- Right. You have to give me the rest of the runes before I can become the Demon King.

As expected.

The rule I know is right.

That Great Demon Grid can only become the Demon King after absorbing all the runes of the other Great Demons.

Then isn't this too easy?

No, there has to be some kind of trap.

'I don't know what it's trying to trigger as the next quest, but I guess I'll have to give it to him for the sake of the fourth quest too.'

What a shame.

I didn't want to hand over the remaining rune like this.

Still, what could he do? The quest said so.

Su-ho took out the remaining rune and threw it to Grid.

- ......?

At suddenly being thrown the last rune, Grid made a dumbfounded expression.

An expression asking what this was.

Su-ho said,

"What are you staring blankly for?"

- What is this?

"Can't you tell by looking? It's the last of the Seven Deadly Sins runes."

- ......This is real?

"Then is it fake? Ah, if you don't want it, forget it. Hand it back."

- Ah, w-w-w-w-wait a second.

Grid took a step back and waved his hands.

Then he soon lifted the last rune and held it up to the sunlight.

- My god......!

His eyes widened.

Because it was a real rune.

Which made it even harder to believe.

- No, why are you giving me this all of a sudden?

"Because I feel like it. I was going to give it to you anyway."

- No way...... You're giving this to me all of a sudden?

At that moment, Grid's eyes narrowed.

- I see. A quest.

"Quick on the uptake."

- No wonder. If it weren't for that, there's no way you'd suddenly hand this over to me. It all fits together perfectly. If you came to the Demon Realm because of a quest, then it's obvious what the next step is going to be too.

Then he broke into a broad grin.

- Anyway, thanks. Thanks to you, I finally gathered them all.

"But you're kind of weird."

- What do you mean?

"You said you don't have any reason to want to become the Demon King. So why are you so obsessed with the runes, and why do you like getting them so much?"

- I have no reason of my own to want to become the Demon King. It's just the role and mission given to me. For the same reason, my obsession with the runes is only me doing my best because that is my role. But that doesn't mean I dislike the pleasure that comes from the process of absorbing the runes themselves. And above all else....

Grid glared sharply at Su-ho as he said,

- You have no idea how glad I am that I won't have to argue with you over these rune scraps anymore.

"Hm."

Right.

If it's for that reason, then fair enough in its own way.

I did torment him a lot.

Su-ho jerked his chin toward the rune and asked,

"So, now that you have that too, do you just poof and transform into the Demon King?"

- That's kind of a funny way to put it, but if you think about it, yeah.

Su-ho took one step back and said,

"Then try it."

- ......You're impressively rude with remarkable consistency.

But that didn't mean there was any reason not to do it.

This was not just anyone's request, but his partner's.

Along with that, it was also a mission the system had assigned to him, something he would have to carry out someday anyway.

Grid slowly began to absorb the rune.

- Ugh...... Aaah......!

In the process of absorbing the rune, he wore an expression like an old man easing himself into a hot bath.

That expression looks filthy no matter how many times I see it.

It was right after Grid finally absorbed the last rune.

[ Great Demon Grid has succeeded in absorbing the runes of all Great Demons. ]

[ Conditions are fulfilled. ]

[ Great Demon Grid begins promotion to Demon King. ]

KUUUUOOOOOOO!!

All at once, an enormous amount of energy began to derive from Grid, who had completed the absorption.

Centered on Grid, it shot a blackish-purple energy in a straight line toward the sky, and the power was so intense that it felt like even beings very far away would be able to see Grid's pillar of energy.

'That's an incredible amount of mana.'

As expected.

A Demon King really is a Demon King.

The mana Grid was pouring out was just as powerful as that released by other higher beings like Umbra or Typhon.

That violent effect kept erupting for quite a while.

Then the circumference of the energy pillar gradually shrank, and before long it dwindled to less than a handful before going pop! and disappearing.

And at its center stood Grid, covered in a pitch-black silhouette.

Craaack-

Cracks began to form in the black silhouette.

I thought it was just some silhouette-like effect, but apparently it was something like a shell of evolution.

Craaack!

It gradually began to be covered in fractures, and at last it shattered with a crash!

Then the thing crouched inside it slowly raised its body.

Amazingly, it had taken on the form of a person with perfect eight-head proportions like a model.

And that wasn't all.

Whether it was clothing of the Demon Realm or something else, the outfit had a rather luxurious-looking design and material, and the face too was a handsome one Su-ho had never seen on Grid before. Along with long hair, two black horns rose from his forehead exactly like those of a typical demon.

His eyes were closed, and only after the energy pouring out had been fully reined in did he finally begin to slowly open them.

- Haaa....

A dark and deep voice.

But strangely, it was a familiar voice.

It was Grid's voice.

When he opened his eyes, he had red pupils.

Soon, Grid met Su-ho's eyes and grinned as he said,

- Well? This is what I look like after becoming the Demon King.

"Done transforming now?"

- Yeah.

"You're handsome."

- Heh heh, so praise finally comes out of your mouth.

He really was handsome.

Like this was what a noble young master of the Demon Realm would feel like.

"But being a Demon King isn't much after all, huh? I thought if you became the Demon King there'd be stuff like commanding monster legions and remaking heaven and earth and all that."

- I don't know what exactly you've been looking at or where, but that prejudice of yours is really something. Demon King is just a title that represents martial rank. I was already a Great Demon who ranked within the top ten in the Demon Realm in terms of martial power, and now I've absorbed all the runes of the remaining Great Demon bastards, so now I'm the strongest. That's more than enough to prove the title of Demon King.

"Who acknowledges that?"

Grid raised a finger and pointed at the sky.

- The system.

"Ah."

Right...... there was the system.

At times like this, the structure really does feel strange.

It was then.

[ You have succeeded in making Great Demon Grid into the Demon King. ]

[ Congratulations! You have achieved an incredible accomplishment that no other player has ever managed. ]

[ The system acknowledges your supreme accomplishment and gifts you 30 bonus stats. ]

The system notifications popped up with impeccable timing.

Just as Grid had said, the system truly acknowledged Grid as the Demon King, and Su-ho was able to receive the corresponding reward.

[ You have succeeded in clearing the fourth special quest. ]

Right after that, a notification for the completion of the fourth special quest popped up as well.

So what comes next?

Probably the fifth special quest.

The moment he thought that.

[ You have succeeded in completing all special quests. ]

[ Congratulations! You have achieved an incredible accomplishment that no other player has ever managed. ]

[ The system acknowledges your supreme accomplishments and gifts you 30 bonus stats. ]

A congratulatory notification out of nowhere.

But then Su-ho's eyes widened.

My god, he had finally completed all the special quests.

The system notifications continued.

[ You are the first player to complete the special quests. ]

[ A reward is granted for completing the special quests. ]

[ Your power is no longer at the level of a Middle-ranked player. ]

[ Congratulations! Your rank has been promoted from Middle Player to High Player. ]

[ By becoming a High Player, all qualifications are unlocked. ]

[ Authority for access to all information has been opened. ]

[ The limited potential of all powers has been released. ]

[ Congratulations! You are the first player to succeed in final rank promotion. ]

[ The system acknowledges your supreme accomplishment and gifts you 50 bonus stats. ]

[ ■■ congratulates you on your growth. ]

[ ■■ congratulates you on your growth. ]

[ ■■■■ congratulates you on your growth. ]

[ ■■ congratulates you on your growth. ]

[ Constellation Umbra congratulates you on your growth. ]

[ Quasi-Throne Heracles congratulates you on your growth. ]

System notifications poured down in a stream.

Naturally, the Transcendents' congratulatory notifications were included as well.

The moment he saw them, boiling emotion surged up in him.

Because the fourth special quest had been the final special quest, and now that all the special quests were finally complete, he had at last reached the High-ranked player status he had longed for so badly.

His whole body tingled.

Dopamine and adrenaline exploded through him, but he quickly came back to his senses and checked his status window first.

[ An Su-ho ]

110 bonus stats.

But even more eye-catching than that was the label he had finally obtained: High Player.

It sent a thrill through him.

What should I do first now?

The moment thoughts like that filled his head, another flood of system notifications rose all at once.

[ ■■ requests a meeting with you. ]

[ ■■■■ requests a meeting with you. ]

[ ■■ requests a meeting with you. ]

[ ■■■■ requests a meeting with you. ]

......

Countless meeting requests.

But what stood out even more than that was this.

[ All qualifications have been achieved. ]

[ All conditions have been achieved. ]

[ The system has decided to fully acknowledge you. ]

[ The system wishes to make you a new proposal, as one who possesses complete qualifications. ]

[ You can become the sole Guardian God-ranked player of the world you live in. ]

[ Would you like to challenge the promotion trial for Guardian God rank? ]

It was none other than the notification for the promotion trial to the Guardian God rank that so many people had spoken of all this time.

The moment he saw it, Su-ho, as if entranced—

No, without a shred of hesitation, his eyes gleaming, answered,

"I will challenge it."